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Category Archives: Raw

Back to the dehydrator but with some additions. I’ve been experimenting with homemade chips: tomato, potato, beet, carrot and sweet potato. So far I’ve liked the flavours but the texture has been problematic. Mostly this is due to my knife skills and only being able to slice things no thinner than 1/4″ without risk of losing a body part. I’ve been resistant to purchasing a schmancy $100 mandoline slicer which would allow me to slice things down to 1/16″. Then a friend recommended this $39 OXO Mandoline. Click, 2-day shipping. Go.

Then I fired up an older recipe to see how it would work with thinner sweet potatoes. Short answer – extremely well!

1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 C Olive Oil

3 T Water

4 Sweet Potatoes, sliced 1/8″ (on your new mandoline slicer)

1/2 t Salt ( I used a smoked hickory version)

1/2 t Ground Black Pepper

1/2 t Smoked Paprika

1 t Dried Rosemary ( I bought fresh then dehydrated)

First, slice the potatoes. Next whisk together the vinegar, oil and water. Place the potatoes and vinegar mixture in a large Ziploc, gently turn over to coat then refrigerate for 4 hours.

Place salt, pepper, paprika and rosemary into a spice mill (aka coffee grinder) and process to a powder. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes of excess vinegar mixture. Load the potatoes into dehydrator racks, sprinkle with spice mixture then assemble the racks in the dehydrator.

Cook at 145 degrees for 45 minutes. Then cool it down to 115 degrees and cook for 14-16 hours. Why 115? No reason except I was curious about how these would turn out cooking under the principles of the raw food movement which dictates nothing can be cooked over 115. Raw food advocates claim food loses significant nutritional value when its cooked at higher temperatures. Sound reasonable but I was really interested in the flavour and texture and if it could be accomplished ‘cooking raw’. It can.

These are crunchy almost like regular potato chips but of course they lack the crisp snap you will get with commercial frying. It depends on if you want crisp or if you want lower calories, tailored flavours and control over what types of fat you are ingesting.

Featured here with Beet Hummus which you can get from Trader Joe’s; its a little sweeter than regular hummus and pairs extremely well with these chips.